Whenever I’m asked what’s the single biggest advantage of an independent school education, I always reply, ‘Individual attention.’

It’s so important that it’s the cornerstone of our method at Bryanston. I’ll come back to that in a moment, but first, let’s consider the hard facts.

Any teacher will tell you, and every study shows, that children do better in small classes. Anyone reading this who had to manage home schooling during lockdown will know how demanding it is to teach two or three children. Add a zero to the number, and you’ve got perhaps 30 children in a class. That’s not unusual in state schools. Each child therefore gets two minutes per hour – except they don’t, because the least able or most disruptive soak up the time, while the ones who are motivated and keen are often left to get on with it, with little attention from the teacher.

It’s not quite that simple, though, because what happens in smaller classes is that the whole group can be focussed together – very hard to achieve with 30 children, far easier with 10 or 15.

Most importantly, the teacher can get to know the individual children far better, and tailor their approach to suit them. They’ll also spot opportunities to stretch children further and find more creative ways to engage their interest.

Small classes are a start, but what then makes the biggest difference is our commitment to giving each child one-to-one attention on a regular basis.

At Bryanston, every child is assigned a one-to-one tutor, and stays with him or her throughout their time here. That’s a level of individual attention you won’t find everywhere, but we believe it’s essential. We discover what each child is like, what they can do, what they want to do, and we help them achieve it.

We talk about the individual spirit, and we’re careful to make it clear that this is not individualism – attention only or primarily to oneself – but the development of each child’s individual personality as part of a community.

Thorold Coade, Headmaster of Bryanston from (1932-1959) wrote that a community is more perfect, the higher developed the individuality of its members. On the other hand, the individuality of a person is the fuller and nearer to wholeness or perfection, the more deeply the person is rooted in the community.

This focus on the individual is clear in the level of pastoral care we at Bryanston and in the independent sector as a whole are able to give our children. It goes further: we offer a wider and deeper education than the National Curriculum prescribes, because we are free to go beyond it. We can respond to the individual needs of each child.

Our children will do exceptionally well in exams, not because we slavishly follow the curriculum, but because we encourage them to use their minds creatively, and think without limits. We know that a mind set free does better in exams and in life, and we educate around the curriculum as well as through it.

Then there’s life outside the classroom. Many independent schools have a huge range of outdoor activities. Sport, of course – and we can find something for almost every child, because we know how much it matters and that you need to offer more than just football, cricket and rugby. Many independent schools have facilities and coaches for almost every sport. And then there’s rock climbing, horse riding, sailing, hiking – I can’t begin to list everything, because it includes pretty much any outdoor activity you can imagine.

Speaking of the real world – some people imagine independent schools exist in a bubble, insulated from reality and carrying on as if it were still 1950, or 1920, or worse. Nothing could be further from the truth. These are modern schools, preparing our children for a world where many of the jobs they’ll do don’t yet exist. How can we live in the past when the future is so exciting? I’m not just talking about the massive investment in IT that all independent schools have been able to make. It’s also about attitude – our children are imaginative, creative thinkers, confident and ready for whatever life brings.

Confident. Not arrogant, not submissive. Confidence is something we pride ourselves on helping our children develop, and you’ll see it if you come and visit – charming, confident people who look you in the eye, smile, say hello and welcome you.

Small classes, breadth of education, wide acres of outdoor space, and a culture of growing self-confidence – these are what you can expect at a great independent school. Plus a lot of choice – boarding, single sex, co-ed, day, weekly boarding – there’s something for every child.

All of which stems from our ability and our promise to give each child individual attention, and nurture their individual spirit.

Bryanston School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 13 to 18, set in a 400-acre site near Blandford in Dorset. Founded in 1928, the school aims above all to develop the all-round talents of individual pupils. A broad, flexible academic and extra-curricular programme is offered and each pupil benefits from considerable one-to-one help and guidance from a personal tutor, subject teachers and housemaster/housemistress. Bryanston combines the best of the new and the old, as befits the school motto et nova et vetera. For more information visit www.bryanston.co.uk.